Largetooth Sawfish
One of the most iconic-looking rays in the world.
Named for their saw-like snout (rostrum), which can grow up to 2m long,around a fifth of the sawfish’s total length.
Northern Australia is one of the last global strongholds for sawfish, with four of the world’s five species living in these waters. The freshwater/largetooth sawfish is the only freshwater species in the world.
Thanks to your support, NT Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley announced that 2027 will be the last year of commercial gillnetting in the Barramundi Fishery – a fishery considered a ‘very high risk’ to sawfish..
We need your ongoing support to ensure the NT Government fulfills their commitment to phase out gillnetting in the NT Barra fishery by 2028.
Facts & Figures
| COMMON NAME: | Freshwater/Largetooth sawfish |
| FIRST NATIONS NAME(S): | Known by many names! Tyemirerriny in Malak Malak language |
| SCIENTIFIC NAME: | Pristis pristis |
| FAMILY: | Pristidae |
| BODY SIZE: | 7.5m |
| DIET: | Fish, crustaceans and molluscs |
| LOCATION: | Tropical and subtropical estuaries |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: | Critically endangered (IUCN) Endangered (EPBC) |
| POPULATION TREND | Declining |